Holiday Gifting Made Easy, Fast, Fun!

What to Get those “Nice” Kids on Your List
The year’s top toys, games and DVDs for all ages.

Jump-start your holiday shopping with these winners from the 2009 National Parenting Publications Awards(NAPPA) competition. With 19 years of experience setting the gold standard for children’s products, NAPPA’s team of expert judges—with help from parent and child testers—present you with their top picks.

TOYS
By Ellen Metrick

This year’s winners reflect an evolution from traditional playthings to impressive and exciting tools that broaden knowledge, hone tech skills, challenge, and delight!

For Infants & Toddlers
• If the Shape Fits eebee, Every Baby Co., $32; www.eebee.com; ages 0 and up.
• Flutterby Teether, Sassy, Inc., $3.99; www.sassybaby.com; ages 3 months and up.
• Baby Einstein’s Animal Exploration Tunnel, The Baby Einstein Company, $39.95; www.BabyEinstein.com; ages 6 months and up.
• Elmo Tickle Hands, Fisher-Price, $30; www.ticklehands.com; ages 18 months and up.

For Preschoolers
• Adorable Kinders Rag Doll Alise, Granza Inc., $59.99; www.adorablekinders.com; ages 3 and up.
• Dolphin Explorer Boat and Dino Adventure Rig, Sprig Toys, $29.99 each; www.sprigtoys.com; ages 3 and up.
• Kidizoom™ Digital Camera Plus, VTech Electronics, $59.99; www.vtechkids.com; ages 3 and up.
• Make Your Own Animal Puppets, Creativity for Kids, $17.99, www.creativityforkids.com; ages 3 and up.
• Rainbow River Stones; Wee Blossom; $151; www.weeblossom.com; ages 3 and up.

For Ages 5 & Up
• Swinxs, Swinxs BV, $150; www.swinxs.com; ages 4 and up.
• Razor® Rip Rider™ 360; Razor USA, LLC; $129.99; www.razor.com; ages 5 and up.

For Ages 7 & Up
• Digital Blue SNAP Video Camera, Digital Blue, $79.99; www.digiblue.com; ages 7 and up.
• Ridemakerz, Ridemakerz, $10 and up for cars, $2 and up for accessories; www.ridemakerz.com; ages 8 and up.
• The Shred Sled, Skyking Worldwide, $119.99; www.theshredsled.com; ages 8 and up.
• LEGO® Mindstorms® NXT 2.0, LEGO Systems Inc., $279.99; www.LEGO.com; ages 10 and up.

GAMES
By Peggy Brown

As families get back to basics, many are rediscovering the fun of family game nights. They bring friends and loved ones face-to-face better than TV, movies and video games—and the price is right, even in tough times. Good games let you learn, laugh and play together, and these games are the best of the best.

For Preschoolers
• Counting Rainbows, Dowling Magnets, $19.95; www.dowlingmagnets.com; ages 4 and up.

For Ages 5 & Up
• Gobblet Gobblers, Blue Orange Games, $19.99; www.blueorangegames.com; ages 5 and up.
• Sherlock, Playroom Entertainment, $10; www.playrooment.com; ages 5 and up.
• Ticks Tacks Toes, Educational Insights, $24.99; www.educationalinsights.com; ages 6 and up.

For Ages 7 & Up
• Exago, Goliath Games, $29.99; www.goliathgames.us; ages 7 and up.
• Squiggle Connect, RandomLine, $19.99; www.randomline.com; ages 8 and up.

For Ages 8 & Up family fun
• Quelf, Imagination, $29.95; www.imaginationgames.com; ages 12 and up.
• Telestrations™, USAopoly, $29.95; www.usaopoly.com; ages 13 and up.

DVDs
By Ranny Levy

Among our winners, you’ll find some familiar DVDs along with some wonderful surprises. Despite the great many titles we review each year, I’ve discovered a couple of new ones that will definitely be joining my personal collection.

For Infants & Toddlers
• Olivia, Chorion/Nickelodeon, 2009; 99 min.; $16.99; www.nickshop.com; ages 1 to 5.

For Infants & Toddlers-Series
• So Smart! Baby’s First-Word Stories, Echo Bridge Home Entertainment, 2009; 30 min. each; $15.99 each; www.echobridgeentertainment.com; ages 1 to 3.

For Preschoolers & Up
• Classical Baby “I’m Grown Up Now”: The Poetry Show, HBO, 2008; 30 min.; $9.97; http://store.hbo.com; ages 2 to 5.
• Lots to Learn: Head to Toe With Buster, Lots to Learn, LLC, 2008; 30 min.; $19.99; www.lotstolearn.com; ages 2 to 5.
• The Jumpitz Celebrate Animals!, The Jumpitz, 2008; 60 min.; $12.99; www.jumpitz.com; ages 2 to 5.

For Preschoolers & Up-Series
• Scholastic Treasury of 25 Storybook Classics: Dinosaurs, Trucks, Monsters and More, New Video, 2009; 291 min.; $29.95; www.newkideo.com; ages 2 to 5.

For Ages 5 & Up
• Let’s Explore… the Rainforest, One Smart Cookie Productions, 2008; $18.95; www.onesmartcookieproductions.com; ages 4 to 12.
• The Riddle in a Bottle, Sisbro Studios, LLC, 2008; 30 minutes; $19.95; www.sisbro.com; ages 5 to 8.

For Ages 5 & Up-Series
• How’d They Build That…? Series, Marvelous Media, LLC, 2009; 50 minutes each; $8.99 each; www.marvelousmedia.net; ages 4 to 8.

For Ages 8 & Up
• An American Girl: Chrissa Stands Strong, American Girl, 2009; 90 min; $19.98; www.americangirl.com; ages 8 to12.